Alfred stillman



A. STILLMAN.

ARRANGEMENT FOR USING FUSIBLE METAL IN STEAM BOILERS.

No. 5,022. Patented Mar. 20, 1847.

Q aw V Q" minim-J s- N 1 N M UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

ALFRED STILLMAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

APPARATUS FOR INDIGATING THE HEIGHT OF WATER IN BOILERS BY THE USE OFFUSIBLE ALLQY.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 5,022, dated March 20, 1847.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED STLLLMAN, of

the city and county of New York and State of New York, have invented anew and useful Improvement in the Method of Using Fusible Metal inSteam-Boilers to Avoid Accidents from Overheated Flues; and I do herebydeclare. that the following is a full and exact description.

The nature of my improvement consist-s in the use of a tube, one end ofwhich is stopped with fusible metal and rests upon some part of theboiler liable to be overheated from a deficiency of water, while theother end opens through the external part or shell of the boiler toallow the escape of steam to give alarm to the person in attendancewhenever the fusible metal should become melted by the overheatedboiler, and so arranged that the issue of steam may be stopped atpleasure and the fusible metal subsequently restored to its place withvery trifling labor, or detention.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention I willproceed to describe its construction and operation, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, inwhich Figure l, is a boiler with the instrument attached. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal section of the instrument and Fig. 3 a transverse sectionof it.

The letters have reference to the same parts in the several figures.

Ais the external part or shell of the boiler.

B is the top of the fire box or flue.

G is a tube of iron or other metal with its screw and nut D, and a capof fusible metal E.

The boiler A, B, possesses nothing peculiar in its construction andshould have the usual safety valve, water gages, &c.

C is a tube of iron, or other metal about one inch in internal diameterthe lower end of which should be contracted as shown at E, Fig. 2, andfurnished with a cap of some 'metal, or alloy, possessing the propertyof fusion at a comparatively low temperature,

as lead or tin, or a combination of themthat combination lmown as softsolder,being well adapted to it, may be successfully used. The upper endof the tube is fitted with a screw and nut D,to attach it to the boilerand also with flat sides for a wrench,'as shown at Fig. 3. The screwshould be of such size as to fill a hole sufliciently large forfthetube, with its cap E, to pass through freely; and the whole should be ofsuch 7 length as to extend from the flue B, through the shell A. Whenthus. constructed and supplied with its fusible cap E, I screw it down,compressing the cap E, between the flue B, and the tube C, so as to forma tight joint on the end of the tube. In case the flue B, becomes heatedfrom the absence of water the cap E, will fuse and allow the escape ofsufiicient steam to give the desired alarm to the person in attendance.The escape of steam may then be stopped by means of a plug driven intothe tube or by a cock previously provided; The boiler may then,

after being replenished with water, be 0011- tinued in operation until aconvenienttime to replace the fusible metal, which may be done by takingthe tube fromv the boiler and screwing another cap in the place of theone, fused and returning it as before directed. 7

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is The applicationto steam boilers of a tube constructed for the purpose or in the mannerherein described and stopped with acap, or

any other shaped piece, of fusible metalrest' ing upon apart of theboiler liable to become 7 over heated in the absence of a proper supplyof water, and designed for the purpose and objects herein substantiallyset-forth.

ALFRED STILLMAN.

Witnesses ENEAS SMITH, WILLIAM Fon'r.

